Revisiting Old Favorites

When it comes to my personal makeup, I have always been a bit cautious of the number of products I own and keep. I hate hoarding. I prefer owning a few options of each thing. For example, 2-3 eyeshadow palettes, a couple of blushes and bronzers and maybe 2 mascaras at a time. However, every once in a while I like to add something I don't need, but really want! And so with the 'treat yo'self' attitude, I gravitated back to some of my favorite products for ages now!

NARS Blushes.
I have never been much of a blush girl. At one point I owned several that I never used and ended up giving away to people, mostly because I like a more bronzed complexion over a fresh, blushing face. Despite all these issues, I still find myself in love with most NARS Blushes. NARS as a brand could sell me bottled cat pee and I'd probably buy it, just because of the man and genius behind the brand, but I digress. I've owned Taj Mahal, Exhibit A and Desire before. All extremely bright and pigmented colours I used to love, but not so much anymore. So recently, when my friend was getting me some makeup as a wedding gift (thanks Sums!) I asked for NARS Sin among several other things. Unlike my previous NARS Blushes, this one is a muted berry with find gold shimmer running through it. It's almost bronzey, and works really well with my general, no makeup-makeup look I like to sport on a daily basis. It's extremely flattering and works really well with pretty much any complexion. It maybe nondescript, but if you get a chance to try this, do it! I swear you won't regret it!

Laura Mericier Baked Highlighter.
When I first read the product description, it said 'baked matte highlighter' which did not seem possible to me, how does one be matte and highlight? But once I used my sample (which I got with one Sephora's Favorite's Kits) I understood exactly what this meant. It's a matte silky semi sheer powder, with the most undetectable micro shimmer running through it. The shimmer is so fine, that it manages to highlight by blending into the skin and 'highlighting' said area. Infact, if you use this with a really fluffy brush under your eyes to brighten the area, it really works! But you need the smallest amount! I love this so much, I used it for all my wedding-related events as it didn't leave visible shimmer on my cheek or emphasise texture!

MAC Paintpots.
Remember when MAC Paintpots were all the rage? It makes me feel so old to think I was a teenager when they were doing the rounds and everybody collected them. Indianwood was my go-to favorite. And over the years I've used several (Groundwork, Rubenesque, Bare Study) of them both in my kit and in my personal collection. But again, if you like that wash of colour on your lids, without much effort, but still makes you look a little grungy - the almost editorial style slept in makeup, try Constructivist. This gorgeous brown with red pearl is perfect for an everyday eyeshadow. And I've been wearing it non stop since I got it.

Do you have any old favorites you have recently been obsessed with? What are they?
And would anyone like a wedding makeup breakdown? :)

Back, again.

I swear I'm back for good this time around. I think what happens when you deal with makeup day in and out is you tend to get bored. It's all I see. Be it Instagram and the 1000's of 'makeup gurus' or YouTube with it's product pushers! I just needed to take a step back, re-evaluate, and come back.
So let me just jump in with my current favorite base products.

Two Faced Hangover RX Primer
If you have oily skin by nature, I'd suggest you stay far away from this product. This primer isn't much of what a traditional primer is, in my opinion. It feels mostly like skincare that preps your skin to look more dewy and awake. I love it on days when my skin looks dull and lifeless (which seems to be pretty often as I grow older... yikes). It has a coconut scent which may put some people off, but I love anything coconut related, so I'm rather fond of it on. The scent does disappear after sometime I've noticed, which is something worth mentioning.
In terms of longevity, it doesn't increase or decrease the wear of the products you use on top. On my face longevity depends entirely on if I powder my face or not. And as far as minimising pores and such, once again, this does nothing. Why is it a favorite, then, you ask? The aforementioned dry and lifeless skin or even normal skin that would like an added boost of moisture or glow, this is your friend.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop
I'm going to start with this, I don't particularly care for Jaclyn Hill, who created Champagne Pop in pressed form. And I think it was rather unprofessional of her to throw Becca under the bus regarding her palette. But having said that, I love Becca as a brand.
To me Becca, like Laura Mercier scream dewy, perfected sun kissed skin. All their products are top notch, if not a little fragile. (Try travelling with your Skin perfector pressed)
Champagne Pop in liquid form is a lot less intense then it's powder version, making it perfect for someone with visible texture (oh acne, I shall forever thank you for that). The shimmer is almost invisible on the skin, but it does 'highlight' the area like it is meant to do.
On some evenings, if I'm feeling particularly rebellious, or in the mood to freak my husband out with my shiney cheekbones, I like adding the Pressed Powder over the Liquid and generally blind everyone within a two foot distance. But it does look pretty.
The subtle peachy golden liquid can be used under foundation, over or mixed with. I love wearing it over foundation and patting it down with a beauty blender. It's also incredible flattering on warm, tan skintones. It highlights without being stark, like Becca's Opal.

Have you tried either of these products? What are your thoughts?

L'oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation - A Review!

When I first saw the world raving about the L'oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation, I didn't want to touch it with a bargepole. With my skin being mostly dry, anything matte can be entirely unforgiving and cling to texture ad dry patches. But with every new review, my curiosity level was out of hand. Finally, i just gave in and bought ordered it on Amazon. I've been using it on and off for a good 2 months now and I really think I can talk about it in depth.
I have the shade 108 Caramel Beige and I have to say it's a spot on colour match. And what's better is it's a wonderful yellow based foundation. I always have a problem with foundations when they aren't too yellow, but this one is just perfect! In terms of texture, it's similar to a thick cream and is very pigmented. A little goes a long way with this one.
I like applying it either with my fingers as a light layer to even out my skintone on low maintenance makeup days or with a beauty blender on days when I want more coverage.
While yes, it does have a tendency to cling to dry patches on my skin - I always make sure to double moisturise these days. So it doesn't sit as heavy as it would if I didn't double moisturise.
In terms of longetivity, it's pretty good. I find that it fades pretty fast around my T-Zone which is the oiliest part of my face (Something I find a bit strange for a matte foundation). Around 5-6 hours and it fades considerably - but this depends on the primer underneath it.

As a whole, I would say this is a good solid foundation, in terms of it's coverage, colour match and staying power. While it didn't knock my socks off or even come close to my now favourite NARS Sheer Glow, it's a very good daytime alternative.

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think?

P.S. I know I've been irregular when it comes to blogging, but part of my 2016 resolution is to be more regular and blog more often. Also, incase you guys didn't know, I got engaged to my boyfriend on the 22nd of December, 2015. We're going to be getting married this year, so a little side project is going to be makeup for my wedding, what to use etc. Would you be interested in that journey with me?